Brands don festive shades to celebrate Durga Puja

Festive season is that time of the year when families come together, celebrations are held, friends catch up with each other and there is joy in the air. This is also an important time for marketers, as people look to purchase new gadgets, give gifts and upgrade the things they use. Here are some brand campaigns that stood out to us this year:

1. ‘Pulse ka Pandal’

FoxyMoron’s agency Pollen put together ‘Pulse ka Pandal’. A release mentions that it aims to be a content-tech integrated campaign, wherein virtual pandals of the celebrations of Ram Leela from the Lav Kush Mela in Red Fort (New Delhi), Garba Raas from the Karnavati Club in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Durga Puja from the Samajh Sevi, Rasbihari (Kolkata), will be live-streamed on Google Maps. Visitors can also engage themselves with.virtual interactive games set up at the pandals

2. Tata Motors

Most auto ads focus on speed, comfort, mileage, etc. This ad takes a different direction - choosing to focus, instead, on how the different features of the car can become a part of the Durga Puja celebrations.

The ad was conceptualised by FCB Ulka and aims to emphasise on the spirit of togetherness that embodies Durga Puja.  It also stars popular Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.

3. The Times of India and Wunderman Thompson

Most people travel back home to be with their families at this time, but those who aren’t able to, tend to feel very homesick. The Times of India (TOI), under its campaign ‘Phirey Esho Kolkata’, has launched a special edition of ‘Maa Aashcen. Tumi Kothaye?’ on Durga Puja. Conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson India, the campaign celebrates togetherness and connection between loved ones during the festival. ‘Maa Aashcen. Tumi Kothaye?’ literally translates to ‘Maa Durga’ is coming home, where are you?'

The print campaign brings this alive by showcasing visuals of two friends connecting through a symbol of joining their hands forming a heart. The campaign video is a tale of two friends, who now live in two different cities - Mumbai and Kolkata. The film features actress Priyanka Sarkar and dancer/actress Sreenanda Shankar as friends, who share their story of separation and how Durga Puja unites them

In an endeavour to connect with the readers to celebrate with missed loved ones, TOI invited them to share the pictures on www.phireyeshokolkata.com. Hundreds of entries from Kolkatans and Bengalis across the cities have been received. Select quotes have been featured in the newspaper.

4. Tata Tea Durga Pujo packaging

Though this is not a campaign per se, Tata Tea’s efforts are still commendable. To mark the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, Tata Tea launched special edition packaging made in collaboration with five renowned craftsmen from West Bengal. The aim was to bring out the essence of each of the five special days of Pujo celebrations, starting from Shashti to Dashami.

5. Asian Paints

For its Durga Puja campaign, Asian Paints chose to go the musical route, paying tribute to the Sharad Shamman competition hosted by the brand for the most creative pandals. The film opens in the 1980s, exploring the journey of a music video through decades. Marked by retro music, complete with disco riffs and octa-pad beats, the 1980s move on to the 1990s, with pop rock signatures of the times. The song progresses into the 2000s, with the first flushes of electronica.

6. Uber India

This campaign by Uber India focuses on the world’s first all-female Dhaki group: Motilal Dhaki. The brand gave all the band members free rides on Uber Rental. Like most of the ads on this list, this Durga Pujo film was released only in Bangla (with subtitles).